Will the Hurts-Brown episode change the balance for the Eagles’ offense?

PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia Eagles receiver AJ Brown couldn’t have predicted all the drama that would ensue from his terse post-game comments about the passing game last week, but his decision to show his frustration to the media was his Presentation according to conscious.

In short, he says he wanted to draw everyone’s attention to the airstrike so the problem can be addressed before it strikes again.

“I honestly said that for a reason. Because we went to the Super Bowl (during the 2022 season) and lost “in a landslide,” Brown said, referring to the Eagles losing five of their last six games in the regular season before losing in the wild card. eliminated in round. “And here we go again. We can correct this now while we have the opportunity.”

That’s been the focus this week now that questions about Brown’s relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts have subsided.

Key members of the passing game – namely Hurts, Brown and fellow receiver DeVonta Smith – expressed the opinion that the operation lacked rhythm and congruence. That’s to be expected to a certain extent, considering the amount of time they play compared to the rest of the league.

The Eagles have relied on Saquon Barkley and the ground game. They lead the league in rushing attempts (473) and yards (190.5 per game). The downside is that they are dead last in pass attempts (328) and 31^st in passing yards (180.6 per game).

The offensive approach changed dramatically during their Week 5 bye. Through the first four weeks of the season, Hurts dropped back an average of 39 times per game. In the nine games since then, the number has dropped sharply to 27 dropbacks per game.

It’s hard to argue with the results. Hurts ranked second with seven turnovers through the first four weeks as Philadelphia started 2-2. Since then he has only had two turnovers (except 21).^st on turnovers) as the Eagles have won nine in a row.

Hurts plays a much more efficient style of ball. During that nine-game streak, he had 12 touchdowns to one interception and was sacked 23 times (2.5 per game), compared to four touchdowns, four interceptions and 13 sacks (3.25 per game) before going down lost on feet.

“I exposed myself to whatever it took to win,” Hurts said. “I don’t care what it looks like. That’s my game and that’s something people have to accept, that it’s going to look the way Jalen Hurts wants it to, but he’s going to win.”

But the Eagles are going against the grain when it comes to championship style. They are averaging 25.2 pass attempts per game this season, the fewest of any team in the league. According to ESPN Research, only one team has made the Super Bowl since 2000 that averaged fewer than 26 pass attempts per game in the regular season: the 2005 Steelers, who won the Super Bowl that season.

Since 2015, four teams have reached the Super Bowl by averaging at least 30 rushing attempts during the regular season: the 2015 Panthers, the 2022 Eagles, the 2019 49ers, and the 2016 Patriots. The ’16 Patriots were the only one of those teams to do so won the Super Bowl.

It’s almost certain that there will be a time in the postseason when the running game slows down and Hurts and the passing attack take over. The talent is certainly there to make it happen, but the consistency hasn’t been there for much of the season.

Lately, Hurts has leaned heavily toward conservative. He has thrown for fewer than 180 yards in each of the last three games and is ranked 31st^st in air yards per attempt (5.7), with only two of his 62 pass attempts over that stretch returning more than 20 yards downfield. And yet he is in 32nd place^nd The average time before the throw was more than 3.24 seconds, indicating the sometimes choppy, arrhythmic nature of the passing game as of late.

Brown has felt the impact: He has only received one downfield target of more than 20 yards in Hurts’ last 90 pass attempts. The sequence that helped ignite the frustration last week was the Eagles’ second offensive play of the game, in which Hurts opted to check the ball rather than let it pass through to a wide-open Brown on the right side – an example of how Hurts was rejecting throws. Brown didn’t get the ball until the final moments of the second quarter.

Brown is averaging 6.6 goals per game, compared to nine goals per game in his first two seasons in Philly. He boasted a 29.4% target share over the last two years, trailing only Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill; that has dropped to 19^Th in the league with a rate of 22.2%.

After the Carolina game, Brown said passing was the area that needed improvement on offense, calling it “incredibly difficult” to get into a rhythm as a receiver when options are limited.

“At the end of the day, he’s a competitor, he wants to win, he wants the ball bad and he wants to make a difference in the game, and I respect that,” Hurts said of Brown. “It’s like all of us.”

Despite the drop in chances, Brown still ranks No. 1 in the league in yards per goal (12.5).

“I’m going to focus more on finding different ways to increase the likelihood of the ball going to him,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “For us, we’re always going to be looking at how we can get to it sooner and create those opportunities.”

Brown slammed his helmet on the sideline after a three-and-out against Carolina and finished the game with four catches on as many targets for 43 yards. A similar scene occurred last year during a Week 2 win against the Minnesota Vikings when Brown, who had four catches for 29 yards in the game, raged on the sideline and had a spirited exchange with Hurts.

The next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brown was targeted 14 times and had nine catches for 131 yards. This was the start of a record six straight games in which he received more than 125 yards.

Perhaps this is a taste of what will happen Sunday as the Eagles try to get their passing game on track against a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense (4:25 p.m., FOX).

“I’m not saying the sky is falling with our passing game,” Brown said, “but it’s about raising awareness, focusing on it and getting better in the moment we have.”